GWADAR: A ship carrying 16,400 tonnes of DAP fertiliser for Afghanistan anchored at the Gwadar Port on Friday.

The ship brought fertiliser from Australia under the Pak-Afghan Transit Trade Agreement.

This is the first time Gwadar port is being used for import of urea by the Afghan government.

The chairman of Gwadar Port Authority, Naseer Ahmed Kashani, said that with the arrival of the urea-loaded ship, the Gwadar Port had been opened for Afghan transit trade.

“Another ship loaded with 16,000 tonnes of urea and 500,000 tonnes of sugar and wheat would reach the port next month,” Mr Kashani told Dawn, adding that urea consignment would be sent to Afghanistan by road.

The opening of Gwadar Port for Afghanistan’s import and export of goods would create a lot of job opportunities for the people of Gwadar and Makran.

“We are happy to see start of trade activities at the Gwadar Port which will improve the living standard of the local people,” Muhammad Essa Baloch, who runs a small business in the area, said.

He said the opening of the port would also help the transport sector to flourish in the area and would provide jobs to the local people.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2020